Wamba (Womba)
Bowie County, TX
Status: Located
Year Established: 1895
Council of Governments: ATCOG
Public History: Black Churches in Texas: A Guide to Historic Congregations
Community History: From Black churches in Texas : a guide to historic congregations:
The exact organization year of this church is unknown, but the current building was constructed in 1895. The church building cornerstone lists the following officers in 1895: Deacons C. Bairfield, T. Clayton, G. Earl, A. Hawkins, and G.T. Richardson; H. Thomas, secretary; J.M. Merritt, pastor-in-charge.
From Public Input:
there is a Black cemetery (Red Springs Cemetery) opposite the intersection of Summerhill Road and Clear Creek Drive – I suspect many of those buried there are Wamba residents. There were many standing structures – including a general store was still standing in the 1960s-1980s. Google earth shows only ruins now. (Some ruins are visible from Google Street View at 33.552124, -94.092624).
From Texas Historical Commission:
Wamba, near the Red River five miles northwest of Texarkana in eastern Bowie County, is in an area that was occupied by squatters as early as the 1830s but not actually settled before the 1850s. A post office opened in 1897 with Laurel B. Fort as postmaster and was discontinued in 1916. The population of Wamba was reported as fifty in 1910 and as forty in 1940. In 1982 through 2000 Wamba had a population of seventy and no rated businesses.
Cemetery: Johnson Cemetery; Red Springs Cemetery
Church: Oak Grove Baptist Church